good morning, america. breaking, new information on the perfect storm. the search for the missing still going on. and new images from the moment of impact. raging winds and water leave entire towns in ruins. a first look at the all-out devastation from the air, on the water and underground. this famous seaside vacation town completely submerged. homes buried by sand. a rollercoaster washed away to sea. >> the jersey shore of my youth, it is gone. >> incredible footage up close from the fires and floodwaters that sent thousands fleeing for their lives.

>> i haven't seen anything like that in my career. >> our extreme weather team is live on the front lines, with the heroes, the rescues, and the unprecedented recovery effort, right now. and look at these stunning aerial photos right now. that's the new jersey coastline. fires still burning out of control, right now. just some of the devastation left behind by superstorm sandy. new jersey and new york, hit hardest by this storm. >> here's what we know right now. at least 51 dead, at least 2 missing. the national guard, pouring into destroyed and devastated areas. more than 6.8 million homes and businesses out of power right now. >> and we've seen so many astonishing pictures coming from the storms. look at that right there. hoboken, new jersey. those are new york taxis, yellow

taxis, all underwater right now. they would normally be racing through the streets of new york. you can't go to downtown new york right now. they are underwater. >> it's unbelievable. and now, for the first time, our cameras are up close in the burned-o coastal town of breezy point. look at that. it looks like a moonscape. a war zone. 111 homes burned to the ground. seeing that is hard to believe. >> sam is going to lead our coverage from the very start. he's in lower manhattan. we want to go right away to wabc's john delgiorno. john, i know firefighters can't get there yet. what are you seeing? >> this is about midway between the popular resort town seaside heights. this is a fire that's been burning for -- it has -- it looks like at least 10 to 15,

maybe even more of these homes have been -- to the ground. the area right now, inaccessible from the mainland. this is a peninsula, accessible only by bridge. the nearest bridge right now, has been cut off. fire department -- even if they could, it looks as the storm surge came up, it deposited 10 to 15 feet of sand across the roadways. right now, no way to extinguish this fire in new jersey. back to times square. >> thanks so much. we have more on the massive destruction on the jersey shore from the ground level. so much of that iconic beach town of seaside heights is underwater. full of debris there. part of the boardwalk knocked out. "nightline" anchor terry moran on the scene from his vantage point. terry? >> reporter: what you have been seeing, the fires you're looking at, that's the concern they have

here. this is an unbelievable scene. block after block, mile after mile of this kind of ruin. and in the wreckage behind me, you can hear the gas lines hissing. there are people here still. and they've been told by the fire department that one spark and this town could blow. this morning, new jersey's seaside heights, the city synonymous with summer fun, is now a city completely submerged. from the air, destruction as far as the eye can see. fires smoldering. some still burning even after the worst winds had passed. entire lots of homes gone. the entrance to the city, boderwater. s that withstood the powerful winds, stacked like cars in a junk yard. this is incredible. on the ground, the damage is devastating. how are you doing now? you got food? you got what you need? >> yeah. >> reporter: floodwaters stranding homeowners who didn't take the warning seriously.

why would you stay? >> i didn't think it was going to be this severe. >> reporter: what was once an east coast summer staple, recently made even more popular by mtv's reality show "jersey shore," will never be the same. the boardwalk demolished. its remains tossed like kindling. when you look at this, what do you think? >> total devastation everywhere. >> reporter: the fun town amusement peer on the shoreline. a merry-go-round, built nearly 100 years ago, destroyed. ferris wheels toppled. this mammoth rollercoaster immersed in ocean waves. >> the jersey shore of my youth, where we used to go all the time, to the boardwalk at seaside heights, it is gone. the pier with the rides, where i took my kids this august, are in the atlantic ocean. >> reporter: a summer way of life destroyed. but the spirit remains. we spent the night down here in

our cars. and a resident came out of the dark and asked us if we needed anything. that's the spirit of the jersey shore. george? >> wow. that is something. those pictures, so sad, terry. let's get back to sam right now. he's downtown by the brooklyn battery tunnel. and that tunnel is still underwater. >> yeah, george. unbelievable. 36 hours after sandy made landfall. and each one of those images is still jaw-dropping. this is the underpass that goes to the brooklyn battery tunnel. it is the main gateway for 2 million brooklyn residents to get into new york. and normally, there would be thousands of cars, thousands of cars trying to get in this morning. and right now, it's home to about 43 million gallons of water. where is this storm right now? take a look at the picture and you can see that the storm is making its way from central pennsylvania, into western new york state. for the next two days, we'll still be dealing with this storm. that's three days beneath the superstorm that is sandy. the enormity of sandy's damage

is clearly seen from the skies. and even for first responders who have seen it all, this is overwhelming. >> i've been in the coast guard for 38 years. very sobering today to see some of the damage that we saw because you realize, for every little flooded street you see, there's a lot of people that are unable to do what they want to do. and their livelihood's affected and their family's affected. >> this whole neighborhood here. >> that building's gone entirely. >> reporter: sandy's fierce wind snapping tree after tree. and when they came down, they took down everything in their path. power lines, where they shouldn't be. >> got a transformer down. >> pole snapped right up top. the wind came across the roof line. >> reporter: and this fire blamed on sandy, blazed out of control in queens, new york, and took out over 100 homes, decimating a tight beachfront community. >> it's destroyed, it feels like. it's like the apocalypse. >> reporter: nearly 200

firefighters battled the blaze for 10 hours, fighting their way through chest-high water on the street. and rescuing people by boat. in that fire, only three people suffered minor injuries. so many rescues, each one vital and heroic. watch this dramatic air rescue in progress, as helicopter 23, na named after the 23 police officers killed on 9/11, pulls an adult and a child off the staten island rooftop. and a search is on for two staten island boys who were separated from their mother after their car was flooded with water during the storm surge. it's a brutal, cold wind behind this storm system. it's going to be really uncomfortable for everyone trying to do the cleanup. with each one of the communities, there's a question of when is this going to be cleared? when is that going to be ready? and for millions of people, the main, driving question is, what about the new york city subways? when will they be rolling?

our chris cuomo is standing outside of one of them this morning. courtroom, chris. >> it's difficult to imagine what lies beneath in stations all over like this one in manhattan. what you're about to see is a collection of everything that sandy brought to bare. and water is the least of it. deep underground, of manhattan' system, now, an eerie labyrinth. all of this came with the water down the stairs? >> absolutely. this wall here is from down here. >> reporter: man. it's got to weigh 200 pounds. sandy's 14-foot surf washed into the south ferry station like a tidal wave, carrying thousands of pounds of debris. are we talking about 50, 60 feet? >> yeah. talking about 2,000, 3,000 feet of track that's completely submerged. >> reporter: this is just 1 stop, along 660 miles of subway

track that carries more than 5.3 million commuters every day. at least three other stations have water up to their platforms. many others have several feet of flooding. >> we have 46 miles of track currently underwater right now. >> reporter: underwater? unusable? >> yeah. >> reporter: remember, draining contaminated water, just the first step. weeks it will take to pump this out? >> yes. >> reporter: and only then will you figure out the problems? >> correct. >> reporter: and above ground, cleanup is just as forbidible. you see that water? that's oil, and gas and transmission fluid. this morning, 250,000 people are still without power. public schools remain closed. nearly 4,000 utility workers from all over the country are rushing to new york today to help turn the power back on. >> you should not expect those people who do not have service today, to get service much before the weekend. >> reporter: a weekend that should be one of new york's busiest, as thousands of people

begin traveling across the world for the annual new york city marathon. a race, where just starting, matters much more than just finishing. we mentioned the marathon. it seems like a small thing. but in many ways, normalcy is measured by the little things. with the transportation system the way it is, it will be a race for the runners to get here. but the real marathon, josh, is the one that all of these thousands of workers are waging to get this city back on track, as they say. and that marathon is a long way from over, josh. >> small steps, indeed. we cannot thank the first responders and all those helping enough. thanks for that, chris. we're getting a closer look from the air, and beneath our city, just how sandy has hammered the east coast and new york altogether. officials are racing to assess the scope of this damage. to that, we went out with the coast guard on one of their first survey missions yesterday afternoon. to see the damage of new york left behind in the destruction of hurricane sandy. what's the worst-case scenario

in terms of what we're looking for? >> people not really understanding the power of the water. standing in an area. people may try to approach an area underwater. they could be taken by surprise and get trapped. >> reporter: the damage quite severe. downed trees along the shoreline. the hudson river still not back to normal, one day after sandy's deadly strike. these are big swells. these rough waters, still swollen, still dangerous. just over my right shoulder, you see the police boat patrolling the shoreline there. that's where the hudson breached last night and began flowing into manhattan proper. the flooding so severe, it cut off all of battery park from the rest of manhattan. that's also where the water first breached the brooklyn battery tunnel, causing the massive flooding that this whole area is still recovering from today. as night falls, an eerie image on the island's southern tip.

building after building after building, absolutely no lights. and from the empire state, down to the tip of manhattan, almost without exception. tonight, almost 24 hours, still sitting in virtual darkness. it was a stunning sight to see. it was hard to see in the piece, you guys. but it was so desolate out there. just before 6:00 p.m. yesterday, which would have been rush hour for new york harbor. it would have been filled with barges, tankers. except for the one police boat on the shoreline, we were completely alone. >> it's like two different cities right now. >> it's so eerie downtown. people looking in the streets for food. >> the empire state building is not just a beacon. it is the cutoff point. also getting back to normal, the race for the white house. hard to believe it's just six days to go. it was suspended by superstorm sandy. but it's starting up again with the romney campaign heading to new states. and new polls showing president

obama holding slim leads in the key battlegrounds. it's "your voice, your vote." and abc's jonathan karl is in florida. good morning, jon. >> reporter: good morning, george. that storm did not delay this campaign for long. joe biden and mitt romney will be campaigning hard down here in florida today. the storm has forced the president to cancel several campaign events. but it has also given him a chance to show some presidential leadership. >> my message to the federal government, no bureaucracy, no red tape. get resources where they're needed. >> reporter: and later today, he'll get a firsthand look at the damage on the new jersey shore, with none other than the state's republican governor, chris christie. christie is a die-hard romney supporter. but he's had nothing but praise for the president's handling of the storm, which he says is all that really counts right now. >> i don't give a damn about election day. it doesn't matter a lick to me at the moment. i've got much bigger fish to fry than that. so do the people of the state of

new jersey. >> reporter: romney, after cancelling eight events in five states, turned a planned rally in ohio into a makeshift aid relief effort. >> a lot of people will be looking for goods, even though we've gathered these things, as you know. i know that one of the things i've learned in life is, you make the difference you can. >> reporter: it has all of the trappings of a traditional campaign event. you have the stage, the big american flag, the campaign music. lots of romney supporters. but you also have over here canned goods and supplies that people have brought for victims of the storm. romney ignored questions about his views on fema funding yesterday. but during a debate last year, he suggested he would favor turning over some of fema's responsibilities to the states. >> every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that's the right direction. >> reporter: romney campaign says he believes fema has a major role to play in hurricane relief. the race looks as tight as ever,

george. but new polls out this morning from "the new york times" and cbs, shows that the president has a slight lead in the three biggest battleground states of florida, virginia and ohio. >> jon, thanks very much. back to josh with other top stories. >> we're going to begin with wall street reopening this morning after the first two-day closure caused by weather since 1888. many wall street firms face big problems with flooding and power and just with getting their employees to work today. critics say the exchanges are no better prepared for emergencies now than they were before the attacks of 9/11. and some experts now say the economic toll from hurricane sandy could top $30 billion because of all the lost business. that doesn't actually include the physical damage and the extent of it. meantime, concerns over more frequent floods and extreme weather have prompted new york's governor to say the state should consider building a levee system or other barrier to protect wall

street and all of lower manhattan. three more people have died in the nationwide meningitis outbreak. 20 deaths from the tainted shots from a massachusetts pharmacy. tennessee and michigan have been hardest hit. and in ohio, the so-called craigslist killer now faces life in prison. the jury has convicted brogan rafferty of luring men and killing them. he said he was following orders of his alleged accomplice. and police say a man who stole some $1.6 million in cash and chips from the venetian hotel and casino in las vegas. the police were able to track him down at his parents' house in california. and disne is buying george lucas' "star wars" films for a

cool $4 billion. and they have announced a new trilogy out in 2015. disney wants to make a new "star wars" film every three years. the first three "star wars" films were the middle trilogy of the nine-part epic. you told the three before. and one figures, this will be the three after. >> josh, thanks very much. let's go back to sam right now. sam, we're looking at the fires in new jersey. >> george, amy, good morning, everybody. it's heartbreaking to see the pictures this morning. you remember and realize these are people's homes. and the giant fear here is that during this cleanup, first responders, firefighters, people can't get into these places to help them. there were feet of piles of sand washed over the road. it's difficult to get anything in there to help those people or help put out the fires in those areas. and so many other areas are in a position just like that. let's show you what happens with the storm today. as the storm moves up in

new york state before the canadian border, it pulls down brutal cold air. skies are going to dry a little bit, particularly from the south and west north. but look at these temperatures and know they're a little cooler because of the winds at 10 to 20 miles per hour. in the 40s and 50s in chicago. in the 50s in washington, d.c. in 50s in new york city, as well. and just a quick look at the northwest. it came in with a daily record rainfall in seattle. more rain is expected. and by diner time tonight, that rain moves into san francisco. >> good morning, everyone.

is a chilly start this and cloudiness is still lingering. temperatures air and the winds are light at 7 hour.per today and may be a peek of sunshine and their will beat 52-56 degrees. for halloween but a little chilly. >> and we are live this morning at the scene of more flooding in lower manhattan. all that weather was brought to you by jimmy dean. now, let's get back to josh, amy, george and lara. >> thank you so much. coming up next on "gma," into the path of sandy's devastation. look at this. our cameras rolling in a community transformed. fires racing through the night, turning this town into what looks like a war zone. and new details on the dramatic hospital evacuations

during sandy. the nurses and paramedics who saved so many babies. we hear from the moms about their moments of crisis. more live coverage ahead. one last look at those fires, as well. [ female announcer ] ready for a taste of what's hot? check out the latest collection of snacks from lean cuisine. creamy spinach artichoke dip, crispy garlic chicken spring rolls. they're this season's must-have accessory. lean cuisine. be culinary chic. but i'm still stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is,

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>> live, and in hd, this is an abc 7 news update. at 7:26 on this october 31.rning, happy halloween. thousands of dc area homes are

still without power. here are the top headlines -- some concerns about the wake ofg in hurricane sandy. this is along the potomac near georgetown and it is a beautiful over the nation's capital. we are not out of the woods yet. we will have high tide later morning and rivers are crest tonight. newschannel 8 will have more in a couple of minutes. let's find out what is happening on the belt way. unfortunately, the beltway

t changed for two hours. crews are dealing with an accident investigation at college park after new hampshire after 95 near new hampshire ave. only the shoulder gets by supplant for extra time. we will stay pretty cloudy today with a few breaks in the cloud. iran and some of sandy socked in.s you can see the beautiful sun we will hit a high between 52-56 and average all week long. will be back

anncr: five hundred and thirty seven. the number of votes that changed the course of american history. newscaster: florida is too close to call... annc the difference between what was... and what could have been. so this year, if you're thinking at your vote doesn't count. that it won't matter.

well, back then, there were probobably at least 537 people.. who felt the same way. make your voice heard. vote. president obama: i'm barack obama and... i approve this message. that's the community of breezy point, completely devastated. a tight-knit community on the edge of new york harbor. and our cameras were up close as the burning fires wiped it out. more than 100 homes destroyed. it looks like a moonscape right now. that's elizabeth vargas. we're going to go to her in a moment. >> that's a firefighter community. >> so sad. we also have new details on the dramatic hospital evacuations that happened during the storm. doctors, nurses, paramedics, saving so many babies. working respirators by hand. we'll hear from the mothers at their moment of crisis.

unimaginable. and the flooding so severe. take a look at that. that's a runway at laguardia, underwater. normally one of the world's busiest airports. we heard chris cuomo talking about the new york city marathon this weekend. people coming from all over the country, all over the world for it. will the planes have a place to land? >> jfk and newark open. la guardia, not yet. >> we see the harrowing pictures. to our kids, halloween is a big deal. and it's on hiatus for so many small children today. too many streets too dangerous for trick or treating. how families are dealing with it all. >> a lot of improvisation going on there. we're going to begin with breezy point. that neighborhood wiped out by a fire that raged through the night. abc's elizabeth vargas is on the scene this morning. boy, elizabeth, it's so hard to see the ruins of that community. >> it sure is, george. and mayor bloomberg and senator

charles schumer who were out here yesterday afternoon, told me behind me, they haven't seen anything like this since the bombing of london in world war ii. 111 homes were scorched, burned to a rubble behind me. all packed into these tight-knit square neighborhoods here. people here in this neighborhood were ready for hurricane sandy. for the ferocious winds and the torrential rain. they were not prepared for this. abc news was in breezy point, riding out the fury of sandy, when the wind and the water gave way to this. >> oh, my god. >> that's fire. >> there's nowhere else to go. >> reporter: fire. homes engulfed in flames spreading quickly. producers trapped inside mary's home. >> it's destroyed, it feels like. it feels like the apocalypse.

>> reporter: fire engines, stranded helplessly blocks away. >> we have water on the front of the house. a ton of water at the back of the house. a little island right here. and we have a fire that's inevitably going to get closer because of all of the wind. >> reporter: for the next few hours, in complete darkness, a full-scale evacuation unfolds. by morning, more than 100 homes were burned, nothing left. we accompany the evacuees on a truck, holding their breath as they head back for the first time since the storm hit. where was your home? we met michael quinn, whose home was destroyed in the fire. >> that was the kitchen. >> reporter: right there? that? >> that blue. >> reporter: joanne coella has lived here for 15 years. her first floor has completely flooded. >> this is up to the top step.

>> i feel totally devastated. >> i haven't seen anything like this in my career. the only thing that came close to this was 9/11. >> reporter: this community has seen more than its share of tragedy. 29 of their own killed on 9/11. but this morning, once again, they vow they will pick up the pieces, battered as they say here, but not broken. >> this is a very strong community. and i -- they'll rebuild and they'll come back. >> reporter: so many people who live here are new york city firefighters and first responders. people who have done so much to help so many over so much time, where helpless to save their own homes as they burned down on monday night. there's still pockets of smoldering fire in all of this wreckage behind me. just a few moments ago, a fire engine was just pulled up over here, wading again through floodwaters, trying to put out some of those fires. if you look over my shoulder here, george and amy, straight there is the ocean. that's the atlantic ocean.

usually there would be rows and rows, blocks and blocks of homes. this morning, a straight shot to the ocean. people vowed to come back here. but looking at the destruction, it's hard to believe that's going to happen anytime soon. >> a landscape has been changed completely. one of the most heart-stopping events of the storm, the emergency evacuation of a major downtown hospital in manhattan, including newborns from a critical care unit. david muir has more on the heroes who got everyone out safe and sound. so many stories from that night. >> reporter: they really were heroes, amy. great to see you this morning. as you know, it was quite a sight to watch nurses walk out of the front entrance here. you see the neighborhood still completely in the dark. not a light on as people get ready for work this morning. what is emerging, is a clearer portrait of the work inside this hospital. and this morning, we meet the moms grateful, for the nurses and doctors who brought those babies down.

the stories behind some of the stunning images, after nyu medical center went dark are emerging. the nurse holding the newborn. the respirators shut down. the nurse doing the work by hand, instead. nurses and paramedics carried the babies down from the ninth floor, the neonatal intensive care unit. 20 blankets in all down a dark and chaotic stairwell. he doesn't want to talk about it all over again. >> reporter: margaret and greg and their baby, cole, made their way down the stairwell, too. >> you could hear the winds howling. it was really strong. >> reporter: baby cole was just 6 hours old when the hurricane first began lashing the hospital. when evacuations began, they were brought into that stairway, too. only flashlights guiding the way. a nurse carrying their tiny baby. sharing the steps with the other patients being carried down on plastic sleds, rushed in by

firefighters and paramedics. >> you see them carrying the women that couldn't walk down the stairs. >> reporter: so this precious baby, arianna, who was born premature with a heart condition. her mother had been sent home while doctors kept watch over the baby for a few more weeks. then, the storm hit. and the mother raced in from long island, after hearing the hospital had been evacuated, not knowing where she would find her baby. when she got into the city, she was told her little girl was taken to mt. sinai hospital. and there, she found her. another newborn saved by the heroic nurses. >> my daughter couldn't have been here right now. >> reporter: those parents so thankful. i spent some of the overnight with them at that hospital they've been moved to. both babies fine, arianna and cole. little cole, i'm told, a little cold, in fact, as he was moving to the next hospital because it was raining. but the doctors say he's going to be just fine. it will be quite a thanksgiving for those families.

>> david, thanks so much. >> what a story they're going to have. >> they'll tell him later. time, now, for another check of the weather and sam champion. sam? >> yeah. good morning. you can feel the chill in the air behind sandy as it pulls away and brings this cold air in. but let's look at the weather maps this morning. we'll show you what that cold air is really doing when it hits some elevation. we're getting incredible reports of snow in the mountains of west virginia. also into maryland, into the mountains in north carolina. but even nonmountainous areas around the lakes are picking up some snow. that's more snow we're expecting in that area from all of the cold air whipping in behind this system. look at where it's sunny, dry and mild, by the way, from dallas, into atlanta, over the next couple of days. there will be a warm-up. we'll get a chance to thaw things out. it's gorgeous in l.a. today. in denver, in rapid city, in new orleans. our weather here is about

s below normal and be the role the rest of the week. 33 -- 33 degrees this error and we will warming up into the 50' >> and we are live in lower manhattan with all of america's weather. now, back to the studio. coming up, will the show go on? how sandy is rattling the entertainment world from coast-to-coast. and life without power right now. how families are coping and pulling together. [ cheeping ] [ male announcer ] you hear that? that's the sound of car insurance companies these days. here a cheap, there a cheap, everywhere a cheap... you get it. so, what if instead of just a cheap choice, you could make a smart choice? like, esurance for example. they were born online and built to save people money from the beginning. it's what they've always done. not just something they cheap about. that's insurance for the modern world. esurance. now backed by allstate.

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back, now, at 7:42. monday, jimmy kimmel was on the show. excited about bringing his show to new york. >> he couldn't have the first show on monday night. but his back now. >> he's back. but film production, tv, it's being affected in the region. and the aftermath is reverberating all the way to the west coast. you know the saying, the show must go on. but will it in the same way? here's abc's cecilia vega. >> reporter: more than 8 million people lost power last night. no one's watching right now. >> reporter: leave it to the guys on late night to bring dry humor to a wet situation. >> i had to come in. i used up my sick days. >> reporter: superstorm sandy forced jimmy kimmel to cancel

his first new york show on monday. but he was back on tuesday, with a cast of characters like howard stern. >> i was up at 4:00 in the morning. i did my rao show. and i was begging jimmy to cancel his show. >> reporter: and thanks to the storm, david letterman went two nights without an audience. >> you knew about the storm. and you came all the way to new york. >> i swam. >> reporter: jimmy fallon played to a packed house when he played to an empty studio earlier this week. >> we had to do the show to a bunch of empty seats. or as clint eastwood calls it, a full house. >> reporter: other new york-based shows didn't fair so well. "the daily show," and the colbert report" canceled taping. shows like "gossip girl" and "666 park avenue" had to stop shooting altogether. there was too much water for the russell crowe biblical drama, "noah." and while it's the east coast

dealing with sandy's effects, hollywood is feeling the effects. >> the closing of hundreds of movie theaters on the northeast have hurt box office revenues. >> reporter: as always, the show must go on. even if it means a top ten list, scribbled by hand. >> the guy who operates the machine. >> yes? >> is not here. todd is doing it. how are you? >> reporter: for "good morning america," cecilia vega, abc news, hollywood. >> they always seem to find the funny. coming up, the flood of fakeouts. the stunning photos that captured everyone's attention during sandy. josh will show us what is real and what wasn't. when it comes to getting my family to eat breakfast, i need all the help i can get. that's why i like nutella. mom, what's the capital of west virginia? charleston. nutella is a delicious hazelnut spread my whole family loves. mom, have you seen my -- backpack? nutella goes great on whole-wheat toast or whole-grain waffles. and its great taste comes from a unique combination of simple ingredients like hazelnuts,

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obviously, in this age, so much misinformation swirling around about sandy. people were hungry for information. twitter, facebook, being used to share updates.

and some of the most astonishing images circulating turned out to be fake. and some didn't. take a look. sandy's march through new york city produced more of its share of stunning images. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: but backing up across social media, piles of hurricane hoaxes. some fakes or clever jokes. but others, real photographs of the wrong storm. with its iconic imagery, manhattan seemed like a target, freeze frames from disaster movies such as "deep impact" or "the day after tomorrow." but why? when there's so many authentic photos of the menace of the storm. the statue of liberty standing firm against doom and gloom. and as floodwaters showed this of the transit system, there's this photoshopped image of a scuba diver. a partially submerged fully-lit

carousel in brooklyn. or a tanker on a beach in staten island. cars floating out of a parking garage. and don't forget the sharks. surely, these photos of the predator of the deep in aquatic homes can't be real. okay. they're not. but according to george parsons of shedd aquarium, they could be. >> the possibility is there. my advice to the sharks swimming around manhattan area, is to go and visit papaya dog. it's one of my favorite establishments there. >> oh, wow. >> not really. still to come, more from >> not really. still to come, more from life in the storm zone. seems everyone and their brother has a home remedy to try. but walgreens knows that you need advice from an expert. that's why our pharmacists are trained to know just what you should take for your symptoms. they're here and ready to help before you try anything... too crazy. now walgreens pharmacists welcome

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coming up, the baby born at the storm's height. how his parents got through a wild ride. >> live, and in hd, this is an abc 7 news update. time is 7:56 on this morning, october 31. thousands of people in d.c. are without power. the local school time thisare open on morning for a little late. some individual buildings are because the have no electricity. find a complete list of website,on our wjla.com. residents and businesses in old alexandria are bracing for

flooding when high tide about two hours. it happens a little after 10:00 morning. streets filled with water last night in old town alexandria. newschannel 8 will have an in- depth report at the top of the hour. let's find out what is happening roads. beltway, weryland a 10-mile backup. only the left shoulder gets by after a serious crash in college park. only the shoulder debts by and from 200 to to get down to the beltway. please allow plenty of time to get through. the forecast is improving. the impact from sandy is still lasting because we have some cloudy mass.

you concede this world from what moving to theane berge. a chilly start, 43 degrees is temperature and generally today and cool with our between 52-56re degrees. at 8:27.l be back anncr: which do you believe? what mitt romney's tv ads say about women? or what mitt romney himself says? mitt romney: do i believe the supreme court... should oveverturn roe v. wade? yes. and itould be my preference that they, that they... reverse roe v. wade. hopefully reverse roe v. wade. overturn roe v. wade. planned parenthood, we're going to get rid of that. i'll cut off funding to planned parenthood. anncr: no matter what mi romney's ads say. we know what he'll do. president obama: i'm barack obama and... i approve this message.

and what a beautiful sunrise at the jersey shore right there. a lot to do. but a sign of hope this morning. things getting back to normal here in times square, as well. crowd's starting to pick up just a little bit this morning. going to linger on that sunrise. >> we haven't seen the sun in a couple of days. it's pretty nice to look at. >> great to see sam champion back at the desk. >> yay. >> great work. remarkable to watch. >> crews are still out there

working really hard right now, everywhere. >> you made everybody feel connected and knowing what was going on and informed. we love you for that. as you know, robin home, recovering from her bone marrow transplant. she's okay. as well, a lot of winds coming off that river. she's fine, as well. >> we scaled back our halloween plans because of sandy and so many families in the devastated region are doing the same thing. i'm facing this at home, as well. what do we do with our kids on the east coast? they have their costumes. they want to go door-to-door. but it's not safe in so many areas. >> it's our job as parents to give some semblance of normalcy. still millions without power. how do you manage to stay plugged in when you're still in the dark? we have good tips to share with you this morning. >> we can use some of those tips this morning. >> what a beautiful scene that was, the little slices, the little touches of hope. and take a look, speaking of.

well, there's the sunlight. and take another look.. there's little liam. one of the babies born at the height of the storm. this morning, his mother, again, opening up about her son's arrival, right in the middle, really the height of the crisis. obviously, it had the happiest of endings for that family. >> his first journey had a lot of ups and downs. no question, for liam. and speaking of kids, a few lucky kids got a chance to sit down with something very special. there he is, right there, elmo. and they had a conversation about the storm. and how to talk about it. josh is right there. we're going to get to that in a little bit. >> what a great conversation it was. from the mouths of babes. news for you, as well. i'm sorry, sam. >> it's a good thing. you'd be surprised at what kids hear on the tv set and hear you talking about. and even young kids will have questions about this. first, let's go to the latest on sandy's aftermath. right now, our extreme weather team is across the storm zone. so much devastation this morning. scenes from the air, parts of

the new jersey coast are burning out of control now because folks can't get to them because of the sand and the bridges out. let's go to "nightline" anchor terry moran in seaside heights, new jersey. there you go. terry, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, sam. it is a heartbreaking scene here. what you see behind me, you see for block after block, street of street, mile after mile. a whole summer way of life that's been battered and flooded out. it looks like a war zone. it is dangerous here. as you walk the streets, you can smell the gas in the air. you can hear the broken gas mains hissing. and for the people who are here, and there are people still left in this town, some stranded, some choosing not to leave. they've been told by the fire department to be extremely careful. one spark and the kinds of fires you're seeing just north of us, they are concerned you could see down here, as well. the boardwalk, the heart of this jersey shore resort, really a symbol of the kind of lifestyle

they have here. now, crazily twisted and wrecked, lying in the ocean. one of the things we've heard from some of the people here is they very much want to get out as soon as they can. the evacuations went all day yesterday. stopped during the night. they'll try and pick them up again. and now, i will send you to ginger zee, our colleague who is a little south of me in atlantic city. ginger? >> terry, the boardwalk did not fare well, here, either. look at this. i'm going to show you where it should be. those polls where the banisters are. beams would line that up. but no longer. it's into the water here in atlantic city. and the reason it goes up and down the jersey shore, one of the big things they want you to know, is traffic bans are still in place coming into the barrier

islands. you can't get in yet to a lot of places. there's one man that will be able to get in. that is the president. he's coming to tour the jersey shore later today. that's with the governor here in new jersey. for now, back to the studio. george and amy, one more thing i have to note. everybody waking up this morning without power, it's very cold. that's one of the other elements to this story. >> we can see the chill right there. sandy so strong, it disrupted the air travel from coast-to-coast. we're going to show la guardia airport right there. it's underwater right now. it's at a stand still. jim avila is in washington, reagan national airport. it's one of the airports that are trying to get back to normal. good morning, jim. >> reporter: good morning, george. look behind me. the planes are back. the smell of the jet fuel is here. the roar of the engines are back. all along the east coast, the airlines saying today is reboot today. the major exception, as you point out, la guardia airport. let's look at the pictures, la guardia from the air.

you're seeing all kinds of problems there. it's right on the long island sound. it was overrun by the flood waters. jfk, the other major airport in new york, is running. and some of the planes began to land there. for la guardia, that's a few days away. the faa has to inspect the runways before they can reopen. that's the situation on the east coast for the airports, george. >> jim, thanks. let's get back to josh with the morning's other top stories. >> we're going to begin with the presidential race, now less than a week away. there's new polls that show president obama holding on to a slight lead in the three major battleground states of florida, ohio and virginia. mitt romney returns to the campaign trail today. he continues to gain favor among women while closing the gender gap. the aftermath of hurricane sandy impacting next week's election. disrupting early voting. some towns may have to relocate polling centers or count votes by hand due to power outages.

meantime stocks, poised to move higher as wall street gets back to work this morning for the first time since hurricane sandy. good news about the jobs market. a new report shows unemployment rates fell in nearly all large cities last month. and there may, in fact, be something of a silver lining for drivers in hurricane sandy's clouds. gas prices may now be coming down even more, with many roads closed. we're not driving as much here in the east. so, there is less demand. also, two of the refineries in the northeast were knocked offline in the storm. some good news there. not only because of power outages, but damage, as well. on the other hand, the power outages, keeping many gas stations from opening. police in southeast michigan stopping cars as they search for the person behind a string of highway shootings. two dozen vehicles have been targeted in the last two weeks. there's been just one injury. but several close calls. a reward in the case has topped $100,000. and one week after a man was

killed by a great white shark, another surfer has been attacked by a shark off the california coast. you can actually see here, very large bite mark in the surfboard. the 25-year-old suffered serious injuries but is in fair condition this morning. and finally, on this halloween day, a remake of one of the most popular video games of all-time. it's inside an actual pumpkin. it uses 128 l.e.d. lights. the stem is the joystick. and you can play it. it's programmed according to the tetris rules. it keeps score. unfortunately, in two days, it's going to smell terribly. so, there is that. >> those two days. >> might want to get that high score and get it quick. >> that's awesome. thank you. no "pop news" today. but more headlines. >> we have hurricane headlines. we begin in new jersey with mayor cory booker of newark.

a superhero of sorts. known for rolling up his sleeves and getting involved in a crisis. he was at it again when the hurricane was ripping through his city. he was driving around, helping residents. when a resident tweeted the mayor to say she couldn't get to her disabled parents, it was mayor booker to the rescue. he went to check on them. they're just fine. a constituent tweeted that a large group of homeless people were stranded. the mayor picked them up and took them to a shelter. when a woman tweeted that her mom was addicted to coffee but the coffee shops were closed, mayor booker responded, i feel your mom's pain. hug her. >> he's great on twitter. he's on all the time. he's great. >> he was. again, like you. he keeps you connected. he was really fantastic. and keep up the great work there. and also, sandy, a huge event in social media for everybody. 18 million tweets about the storm in just 3 days. facebook, also reporting that people are chatting about the storm more than the presidential

debates, the oscars, the world series. and at the end of the day, it really is all about letting loved ones know they made it through the storm. the number one most-shared term on facebook in the u.s. yesterday in the aftermath of the storm, we are okay. >> i love that. >> fantastic. how about that? >> beautiful words to hear in these times. finally, from the four zoos in the path of hurricane sandy here in new york, good news. officials say not a single animal was injured due to the storm. even the coney island's acquiq m aquarium's latest newest resident. he was fine through the storm. the 236-pound orphan arrived two weeks ago. he is requiring around the clock nursing to get him back to health. the aquarium and the zoos all expected to remain closed until repas to the structures can be made.

>> that is good news. all of the new york parks will be closed for a couple more days. sam made it outside again. let's get some weather. >> telling everybody to huddle up and keep the cool breeze off me. where are you ladies from? >> california. >> california. you do feel the chill. what's going on down there? seven girls and what? seven days, three girls. i had seven girls in a hotel room. the story is very different now. tell me your name. >> amy. >> where are you guys from? >> nebraska. >> how is it going so far? so far, so good? you're here. that's good. some things going on we want to show you. we'll start with the picture out of snowshoe, west virginia. this is the pounding snow that's coming out of that system, sandy, believe it or not. as it pulls inland, it's been throwing the cold air and wind and making big snowfall totals. here's what we expect left in the storm. redhouse, maryland, norton virginia, with 20 inches of snow. something we show you all the

time, the wind profile. each one is the direction of the wind. there's a circular effect to this storm, as it shifts we are taking a look at what is left of sandy. you can see this world starting to die out and lifting to the north. the moisture is gone and the clouds are persisting. there is a sliver of sunshine in there. now and we'reht 52-56g for a high degrees. stay well below average for th >> we are live in times square. if you're wandering around in a costume, come see us. it's time to go inside. who are we going to? >> lara. >> nicely done. here's a look at what we

have coming up on the "gma morning menu." coping without power. we have tips for you. the stories of miracle babies born during sandy. and halloween is on hiatus. how families are making today fun, though, in these tough conditions. that and more coming up live, from times square. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18.

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welcome back to "good morning america." outside of starbucks, just down the block.

i'm not doing a drink order for the team, although, i'm happy to do that after this. i'm here because do you know you can siphon free wi-fi even if your starbucks is closed? it's one of the many tips i've learned from many people living without power now. and here are a few more. this morning, more than 8 million homes in sandy's wake are being greeted by this. sandy as also left families from south carolina to maine in the dark. with no end in sight. here in weston, connecticut, they're all in it together. 100% of the town without power. >> we have bottled water. and the bathtubs are full. you can't flush the toilet. it's been an adventure. >> reporter: it's all about trying to figure out ways to budget food, water and power. >> last year, i stocked my refrigerator. so, we have a lot of crackers

and cereal. and peanut butter crackers. >> reporter: many residents stocked up on bottled water. if you didn't have time, you can make tap water drinkable. for every gallon you need, add one-eighth of a teaspoon of bleach to purify it. but let it stand for 30 minutes before consuming. another great tip for parents with small kids, take advantage of the daylight. >> when i'm around during the day. >> reporter: there's no video games. there's no computer. how is that for you? >> partly, i think it's awesome because i love to read. >> reporter: a flashlight and a good book? >> yes. >> reporter: that's great advice. and what about those of us who can't seem to live without our e-mails? you can power up mobile devices in the car. just make sure garage doors stay open. and cherish that charge by dimming the screen and turning off the wi-fi. need the web? take a cue from these guys. they're not waiting in line for coffee. they're taking advantage of

starbucks free wi-fi signal that works even when the shop is closed. and when the night comes? the entire neighborhoods are without lights. there's no stoplights or street lights. it's dangerous driving. at home, use flashlights instead of candles. and if all else fails. >> find a friend with power. >> reporter: that might be the best advice of all. the other theme i kept hearing, was make sure you have some chardonnay. that's from all of the moms. i have a useful gadget that is worth possibly investing in, if you can afford it. it's from brookstone. this is a major rechargeable charger. it's something you would buy for $149. there's cheaper versions out there. but what happens is, if you plug it in proactively, you can charge your blackberry or your iphone up to 40 hours. you get eight hours on your laptop. if you need to stay connected or you're just addicted, this is a

good investment for everybody. and $149. it's a lot of money. but there's cheaper versions if you go online. >> at lot of power. >> it's called the rechargeable laptop battery. check that out. and i thought the chardonnay was a good idea. >> yeah. maybe. >> go for the chardonnay. >> exactly. >> thank you, lara. we want to get to the moment of hope we were talking about all morning. little liam, born of something in an adventure. one of the many babies born during the superstorm. and linsey davis has his story. >> reporter: good morning, george. downed trees and power lines made it like a maze for us getting to the hospital yesterday. i can only imagine what that trip would be like when you're moments away from having a baby. that was the case for the schleppy family of new jersey. it was the unexpectant arrival that was more hard-hitting. at 5 pounds, 2 ounces and not even a day old, liam schleppy

has endured one of the worst storms of a lifetime. >> it was surreal. >> reporter: monday night, the schleppies were ready for sandy. while christine was pregnant, she was five weeks away from her december due date. she has given birth before. and her husband, david, has two children of their own. but neither were prepared for the newest addition to the family. not when it happened. >> looking out the window and worrying about the trees. >> reporter: at 5:00 they lost power. right around the same time christine started feeling like the baby might come. >> contractions were coming fast and strong. >> reporter: her discomfort caused her to call 911 for an ambulance, just as sandy was making her presence known. >> we never made it. the ambulance got stuck on a branch in some mud. they got me in a cruiser. >> reporter: so began an epic

journey through treacherous weather and driving conditions. >> why does this have to happen? all-told, the trip required two ambulances, a squad car and two failed attempts to get to two different hospitals. >> they needed to get me somewhere soon. everyone's panicking. >> reporter: finally, they wound up at a church gymnasium. >> with tables stood up. >> reporter: doctors helped deliver the baby, without anesthesia. >> no drugs. i was scared out of my mind. as i'm getting ready to deliver, i can remember hearing someone say, this is awesome. >> reporter: the schleppys weren't the only driving sandy and labor. right around the corner in see caucus, new jersey, baby magdalene decided she wasn't going to let sandy keep her from coming into this world. harry rode out the storm at

memorial hospital in york, pennsylvania, after giving birth to owen bedard loveland. despite all of the destruction, there's few people like the schleppys, who can't take their eyes off the miracle born in the midst of the storm. when they got to the church, it was a mobile medical van that was there. but the winds were so high, they couldn't open the doors. they didn't have a hat to keep his head warm, they used a shoe cover. and to keep his body warm, they wrapped him in tinfoil. can you imagine? >> miracle baby born in a church. fantastic. thank you. halloween is hiatus for some families after sandy. but it's still a big day for so many kids in the u.s. with millions in the dark this morning and some streets too dangerous for trick or treating, how are families celebrating right now? me and abc's paula faris are discussing our plans. what are people advisie ining

families to do at this point. >> trick or treating not happening, not a conversation you don't want to have. try telling your goblin that halloween is on hiatus. probably doesn't go over so well. that's why folks are scrambling to refuse to make the rain, wind and snow take the treats out of trick or treating. as the northeast begins digging out of the mess that sandy left behind, the question for so many families this morning, how to make sure this halloween won't turn into a hallow-wasn't. >> halloween is like christmas. it goes on, no matter what. >> reporter: today will be no ordinary halloween for the children of hurricane sandy. >> i'm going to have halloween. we're going to trick or treat at my cousin's house. >> reporter: on tuesday, halloween stores and costume shops, usually teeming with customers, were shuttered, closed indefinitely. leaving would-be trick-or-treaters out in the cold. >> i was trying to get a

last-minute costume. >> reporter: new york's mayor, michael bloomberg announced the city's annual halloween parade, famous for the thousands of revelers who turn out to show off their over-the-top costumes was canceled, for the first time in its 39-year history. >> unfortunately, we just cannot spare the manpower from the nypd and other city agencies to host the annual greenwich village halloween parade. >> reporter: and the internet is riddled with notices of canceled halloween parties up and down the east coast. but child psychiatrists say parents shouldn't let mother nature ruin all of the halloween fun. >> families definitely should have the best halloween they can possibly have. it's a way of striking back at sandy. you can't go outside, get other families together in your apartment. >> reporter: families we spoke with say they're helping kids keep their minds off of the storm with halloween-themed arts and crafts and pumpkin decorating activities. >> you have a pumpkin.

>> reporter: and a number of big-city high-rises posted signs on tuesday, inviting wee ones to celebrate halloween in the building lobbies this evening. my kids' own halloween parties at school, canceled. but the idea of no halloween is simply incomprehensible to my daughter. what would you think if i told you we can't go trick or treating this year? >> i'd cry. >> reporter: and so would many others. >> sandy won't ruin my halloween. >> in hard-hit new jersey, chunts have moved trick or treating hours to the weekend. and governor chris christie said he would sign an executive order to reschedule halloween. and he thought it would be humorous to reslate it for election day. >> not funny. coming up, we have elmo's expert advice. his message to kids about the storm.

>> live, and in hd, this is an abc 7 news update. at 8:27.orning there are local schools that are many of the but are opening later. complete list on our wjla.com. metro trains, marc trains, and vre resumed earlier service .arly this morning be able to take any new york for into some time. there will be amtrak service d.c. and new between d.c. and

virginia the bay of stops. trains from chicago to d.c. and vermont are cancelled today. airlines have resumed a route flights.umber of more flights will resume today. newschannel 8 will have a report coming up in a couple of minutes. there is clean up around the area. georgetown pike at old dominion drive is still shut down. it will be a while to clear this 15-mile backup near new hampshire avenue on the belt way. got quite a bit of cloudiness and the sunshine is trying to peek through. 43 degrees right now. it is still cool off to the west, 39 degrees in manassas.

cloudy and cool today, 52-56 degrees and we will stay below e by about 10 degrees. we will be back at 8:56.

♪ we did the mash we did the monster mash ♪ many dressed up out in times square this morning. a little halloween spirit. not going to let a little storm or a little cold this morning out there in times square get in their way. good morning, america. robin home recovering from her bone marrow transplant. >> you have to do this to "monster mash." >> you don't have to do that. >> you don't have to at all. >> that's not a must. >> we're always happy to see you do it. in fact, he's doing it right now. speaking of fun, we actually have our cameron mathison here. he visited the craziest makeup

room ever. the dream machine that makes some of lady gaga's out-of-this-world outfits. what are they putting on you, cameron? he's standing by to let us know how it's done. and austin brown from the next "iron chef" redemption is here, to celebrate halloween in our own little way. i like your costume, number one. and i love what he'si inmaking. delicious fun and fun to do with kids. >> what costume? >> that's just alton. this morning, we have a ballroom bombshe bombshell. sabrina bryant and louie amstell, they were the latest voted off. >> i was not happy about that. >> we're going to talk to them live this morning. we're going to begin with a very, very recognizable voice of

reason, actually, stepping in to help in the wake of sandy. that little guy. a huge following. taking important questions from kids about what they've seen on tv or outside their own windows after the storm. i had a chance to sit with those kids as we chat about it, with our friend, elmo. we adults called it a superstorm. but amidst the ferocity of nature's wrath, for the youngest amongst us, it was just plain scary. so, how do you talk to kids about getting through the storm of the century? we got together with a panel of newly-minted veterans. and an expert on kids, our friend, elmo. i have a little daughter named sarina. and she, actually, elmo, wanted to ask you this question. what should she do if she's having trouble sleeping? >> elmo slept with mommy and daddy. >> you can do that. and many have a comfort item.

you could have a stuffed animal. >> i have one. >> i did. >> i did. >> what did you have? >> i had my stuffed animal dog named sparky. >> cool. >> an elephant, tara. >> how about you, olivia? >> i have pocco. and sometimes i'm allowed to sleep on the top pillow. >> a special way to sleep. did you play games with your family? did you do things with your mommy and daddy? >> last night, i played a game of crazy 8s. but we didn't finish it. it was that long. >> elmo, sometimes it's hard to stay indoors when you want to run around and play. you feel like you have a lot of energy and want to do things. what was some of the things you did? >> elmo likes to sing and stuff like that. >> what about dancing? and those without electricity, maybe you have a battery-operated radio. >> or just clap your hands for a rhythm. >> that's right. >> just like you said.

we have a radio that just works by turning a handle. >> during the fire trucks. >> yeah. >> elmo did, too. >> and we have lots of heroes out there right now who are helping all of the families who need help. and the firefighters are heroes. >> yes, lydia? >> i heard on the radio this morning that the bird's nest in the hurricane flew away. so, i made a picture for him. >> that's nice. she made a picture for your friend, big bird. >> that's great. >> look at that. wow. that's big bird's new nest. can you bring this back to big bird? >> yes. and big bird's going to love this. >> that's great. can we say good-bye to elmo and thank him? >> bye, elmo. >> elmo loves you. and stay safe. >> that is great. >> yes. it talked a lot about their fears and they're scared. it's important, as the doctor

said, acknowledge your kids' emotions. let them feel them. tell them it's okay to feel whatever they're feeling. and assure t it's all okay. it's all goingo pass. s, agai as the weaer ly tes normal. we've seen a little blue sky outside. >> we have. and it's nice every chance you see the light. i do want to remind you, you had a glimpse into young lara spencer's childhood, in josh's piece. the young lady that had her hand up, that was lara spencer. at exactly the same age, by the way. let's get to the boards. we've got some pictures coming in. and your twitter and facebook pictures are keeping us up. we're retweeting them. when you send us damage in your town, we send them back out there. and the pennsylvania shots. lots of trees down. lots of wind damage, even well, well inland. and the amazing pictures of the great lakes and the crazy waves. cold temperatures in any of these areas.

this is going to be brutal for people who don't have power. when you wake up to temperatures like 41 and 32 degrees. you have to figure out how to stay warm in all of these nights, the next few nights we're going to have cold temperatures. chicago and new york city, all the way to detroit. washington, d.c. these temperatures are going to be chilly for the next three to four days. on the west coast, we're starting to clear out the northwest. but that rai we've got a cloudy start this with a few slivers of sunshine trying to peek through. 43 degrees at reagan national 30's off toe upper the west. we will be in >> oh, oh. >> yes, sam? >> pick me. over to you, amy. >> all right, sam. i was raising my hand. thank you. now, to a real-life halloween faceoff. our cameron mathison stopping by one of the wildest makeup rooms ever for some very spooky

inspiration. it's the workshop where movie magic is made. and what a trooper cameron was there. he got a special behind-the-scenes look. good morning, cam. >> good morning. i did not know what i was getting myself into watching these master craftsmen transforming into a creature that not only my own kids recognized. in my guest for the most amazing halloween costume, i headed to the very best. optic nerve special effects. the backstage team of the cable monster hit "faceoff." where the best special effects and makeup teams in the business make movie magic. working on me are the people who brought the words of "hunger mes" to life on the big screen. and brought the real-life look to tv's "csi" franchise. their costume lab looks like a halloween museum. check out some of their past work, just hanging around. some of them are a little scary looking, to say the least.

>> we're going to turn you into a spooky goblin for halloween this year. >> reporter: a spooky goblin. i'm sitting with one of the best special effects makeup artists in hollywood. why are people so fascinated by the effects? >> i think for the first time, pulling back the curtain and allowing the public access to what are pretty secret techniques, in the way that we achieve physical makeup effects. on screen, it has to look real. it's our artform to create something that's demonic and scary enough. but real enough so people can imagine it exists. >> as we go through this, we'll ask you if you're okay. give us a thumbs up. >> reporter: to make the mask appear so real, they have to make a plaster of my head. it's called a life cast. yikes. look at me. over a week, the process sometimes takes three weeks, they sculpt, paint and finesse a clay mask that's like a tck

layeof my own skin. en, the applition takes two hours. new eyes and eth. fangs, i guess you would cal them, are added as the final touches. and there i am, a goblin. what do goblins do or say, i wonder. mckenzie westmore is "faceoff's" host. in my first interview dressed as a goblin. what makes a great mask? >> it's the little nuances. the little touches on top of everything that you have going on. things like the neck, perfect. >> reporter: and the nose. >> exactly. >> reporter: looks so realistic. >> it does. >> reporter: how do you think my kids are going to react? >> i think your kids will freak out. >> reporter: i do, too. and who better than my children to grade my costume? i was afraid i'd scare them. but they liked it. >> that's cool. >> okay. i'm not going to lie to you. my daughter was a little scared.

>> she wouldn't make eye contact with you. >> she was a little scared. i was going to wear that mask for halloween. but it cost $15,000 to make. you're looking at my halloween costume right here. a "gma" special contributor. >> your face is priceless. a lot of people would pay money for that. thanks, cam. the halloween

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what a shocking night on "dancing with the stars." sabrina bryan and louis van amstel got to the top of the leaderboard. but this is what happened next. >> sabrina and louis. >> you hear the boos there. but sabrina and louis managing some smiles this morning from l.a. they're joining us now. guys, thanks for getting up early this morning. that just did not seem fair, sabrina. >> you know, i was just excited from the beginning to be voted on by the viewers. to be part of this incredible cast. nobody wants to go home. the elimination was definitely hard. it was week six. it was so tough. but at the same time, we can't look back at any one of our

dances and be anything but proud of what we've done on this dance floor. >> that's true. >> an amazing time. and last night, the rumba was just -- we had the best time. so, we went -- we left on a high. >> you sure did. let's talk about the rumba a little bit. that did get the first perfect 30 of the season. and i know, sabrina, you brought a lot of your personal life into this dance. >> yeah. i mean, it was definitely something that was -- it was hard to do. but at the same time, it was amazing, as well. the dance was so -- it was gorgeous. and i just feel really lucky to have been able to kind of share my story. my experience from the last time i was on the show, when i was going through a lot of that, versus what -- where i am now, is just -- it's like a black and white situation. and i enjoyed being a part of

the show. and i just -- it was -- it's an awesome experience. it's hard to think negatively about it. >> it certainly is. and, louis, i noticed you got emotional, as well, during that dance. what was that about? >> oh, my god. the whole week we rehearsed it, emotionally, was. but to see sabrina change that week. and just to see how beautiful she looks and the dance she did, so much more than i ever expected. and to touch so many people, just by such an inspirational performance, it was just amazi g amazing. and i love my job. this is what i live for, to see people like sabrina do what she did. >> and we loved watching you. we loved reading you on your blog all season long. before you go, every dancer out there this season on the all-stars is doing so well. who do you think has what it takes to go all the way? >> i am definitely behind my twin, shawn johnson.

i hope she takes it home. she's so incredibly talented. i can't wait. every week, i watch her grow so much. and definitely hope that mirrorball trophy goes home with her. >> she's doing great. louis? >> i'm personally rooting for everyone. but i think emmitt and shawn are going to have a faceoff. >> yeah. >> and anyone else deserves a spot in the final, though. good luck to all of you guys. >> and congratulations to you guys. you had a great season. thanks for coming on this morning. "dancing with the stars" airs monday, 8:00, 7:00 central here on abc. and coming up, alton brown's spooky snacks for halloween. ♪

♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] combine the pnc cashbuilder visa credit card with a qualifying pnc performance select checking account and earn 75% more than cards earning 1% cash back on almost everything. we were told to build a 30-foot stage. gathered the guys and we built that 30-foot stage, not knowing what it was for. just days later, all three shifts were told to assemble inin the warehous. a group of people walked out on that stage

and told us that thelant is now closed and all of you are fired... i looked both ways, i looked at the crowd, and...we all just lost our jobs. we don't have an income. mitt romney made over 100 million dollars by shutting down our plant and devastated our lives. turns out that whene built that stage, it was like building my own coffin, and it just made me sick. [ le announcer ] priorities usa action is responsible for the content of this advertising. ♪ he did the mash it's halloween, everybody. as we bounce back from hurricane sandy, i forgot my costume.

>> hurricane? do you want my fez? >> i would like to, actually. thank you very much. i feel better already. >> very cool. >> thanks. kids want to feel the normalcy of the day and celebrate the best we can. >> absolutely. >> dangerous to get out and trick or treat. you're going to give us solutions that we can make in the house. >> in the house. we're going to make these gummi worms right here and now. i have plain gelatin and the flavor essences. >> this is a chef's hat. >> you can make it with jell-o packs and much less water. i've made some flavored gelatins that are in these squirt bottles. to make the worms, this is groovy, watch this. all we're going to do -- you make -- this is sugar. four cups of sugar. if you want to make sour worms, you can buy citric acid from the

drugstore. it will make it so sour. >> citric acid, that's readily available? >> in the drugstore. 100 degrees. you want to make the gelatin. and you want to get it to 100 degrees. the cool thing -- anybody else want to do this? you can let this sit for a year in the container. and warm it up to 100 degrees. make some squirrely, wiggly like this. there's a cherry. this is bubble gum flavors. that's one's a trick. that's like broccoli. >> ew. >> i always like to have a trick, like that's a broccoli one. check this out. another way to do this and this is cool. kids love this. excuse me. if you have regular straws at home, what i do when i do trick or treating, i'll give it to them in this form. you can squirt this into a straw and let it set up.

>> wow. >> liquid sugar straws. >> here's the deal, though. you leave an air space. you let them sit for about 20 minutes. stick them in hot water. excuse me over here. you stick them in hot water. you tell them to take them home and do this. and you can literally work these things out like little worms. >> why do you want to do this? >> it makes it edible. and it comes out if it's hot enough. oh. i almost forgot. dirt. we have to have dirt. if you want to serve this for a halloween party, all this is equal portions of heavy cream and hershey's syrup. what could be wrong with that? >> happy halloween. >> and it looks like chocolate mousse. and you put in some of the gummis. >> that is -- >> you are a mad, mad scientist. >> those will be ready in about 20 minutes. >> low-cal halloween treats. >> tell us about "redemption."

>> "the next iron chef: redempti redemption" begins november 4th on food network. >> you look perfect. you can find the recipe for gummi worms and dirt on our website, at goodmorningamerica.com on yahoo!

if you waited for the end of the show, we have a special treat. it's going to be so worth it. it's a sneak peek of tonight's drama, "nashville." juliet appears on a morning show like "good morng america." she has to defend herself as she talks to our very own robin roberts, everybody. take a look. >> how do you explain this video? >> actually, there's a very simple explanation for it. everybody wants to be young and famous and rich. and i am. and people are very jealous. >> wait a minute. so, you're maintaining you did nothing wrong?

>> i put the nail polish in my purse because it didn't want it to fall through the basket. and i didn't get a chance to pay for it because i was very distracted because as usual, it's very difficult for me to leave my house without being followed or harassed. and that's the problem with being on top. >> celebrate. our girl, robin, shot this before she had her bone marrow transplant. you can see all of robin's scenes on "nashville" tonight, 10:00, 9:00 central. emmy. >> everyone. we'll see you tomorrow, live from the cma awards. take care. >> live, and in hd, this is an abc 7 news update.

e is 8:56 on this y morning. schools are closed today and others are opening n the list is on our website at wjla.com. early voting continues today in d.c. and marylan because of the storm. elections isd of extending hours and adding machines that the eight voting centers. open now and will stay open until 9:00 tonight. 8:30 a.m..pen at g hours will be extended in maryland as well. if you want to pull down, county looked more like snowmageddon. it could be days before the area it starts getting back to normal. >> unfortunately, i am hearing

that it was aes on the beltway. for three hours, they have been doing the investigation. just a left shoulder and right with a 15-mile backup. everyone is trying to get down the beltway viet 29. trying toast is clear. there are some picks of sunshine overall, we will state -- stay in cloud cover. high temperatures will be in the today and trigger a will be drynight but cool. will be drynight bu[ mitt romney ] there are two very different paths

the country can take. one is a path represented by thpresident, which, at the end of four years, it'd mean we'd have $20rillion in debt. i'll get people back to work with 12 million new jobs. i'm gonna make sure that wget people off of food stamps noty cutting the program but by getting them goojobs. i'll work with you. i'll lead you in an open and honest way and to makeke sure that we all together maintain america as the hope of the earth. i'm mitt romney, and i approve this message.